Sullivan County – Orange Birding

Sullivan County WILSON’S PHALAROPE, 05/31/21

I guess it was just a shorebird kind of weekend. This morning I went back to Skinners Lane; nearly all the shorebirds I had yesterday continued. Linda Scrima reported that the three Black-bellied Plovers, which I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post, also continued. I headed back to the west side of the Liberty Loop, convinced there had to be something good there. Maria Loukeris had the same idea and joined me out there, unfortunately we were both disappointed. But! When I got back to my car and was starting to head home, John Haas had put out a notification on the Mearn’s Bird Club app that he had a WILSON’S PHALAROPE at Morningside Park!

~What a gorgeous little shorebird – WILSON’S PHALAROPE at Morningside Park, 05/31/21.~

I hustled out to the park, and the bird hung in there. I joined John and several other birders as we enjoyed some of my best views ever of this species. What a treat it was and a great way to end a killer shorebird weekend. Huge thanks to John for locating the bird and for putting the word out. You can see his blog post about it here. If he hasn’t posted about it yet, I’m sure he will this afternoon or evening.

~Wilson’s Phalarope giving me a nice profile. Morningside Park, 05/31/21.~

~One more shot of the Wilson’s Phalarope at Morningside Park, 05/31/21.~

Another Good Weekend, 05/02/21

I’ve been wanting to see a Porcupine for ages, but for some reason or other, I never crossed paths with one since I’ve been in the area (11+ years now!). Well, this weekend I saw three, lol. The first one was on a seasonably cold and windy hike at High Point State Park with my brother-in-law Bill on Saturday morning. We hiked for just over 9 miles; the views from High Point were impressive, the number of birds, not so much with just 18 species tallied. The Porcupine was far and away the highlight.

~Blue-winged Warbler at the Bashakill Wildlife Management Area, 05/02/21.~

On Sunday morning I headed out to the Bashakill to try my luck there. It’s been ages since I’d been there and it did not disappoint. I immediately ran into John Haas and Scotty Baldinger with a couple other birders when I parked at the front of the Stop Sign Trail. I figured the smart money was on sticking with them – they attract warblers and birds in general like nobody’s business. I wasn’t wrong, the place was hopping with birds, but the first thing that got my attention was not one, but two Porcupines sleeping up in trees! What a weird coincidence! As for the birds, I covered some good territory and counted just under 60 species for the morning, eleven of which were warblers. There were also many birders out and about – too many to mention by name. It was good to catch up with some folks I haven’t seen in a while. Birding highlights for me included excellent looks at Blue-winged and Black-throated Blue Warblers at the Stop Sign Trail, decent looks at a high, singing Cerulean Warbler and a Yellow-throated Vireo at the Horseshoe Trail, and a calling Virginia Rail at the Deli Fields.

~Porcupine at High Point State Park, 05/01/21.~

~Black-throated Blue Warbler at the Bashakill, 05/02/21.~

~Ruby-crowned Kinglet at the Bashakill, 05/02/21.~

~Orange County Sandhill Crane from earlier in the week.~

~Not a great shot, but I wanted to include one more shot from High Point State Park. Black-and-white Warbler 05/01/02.~

Sunday Shots, 02/14/21

Well, it was another enjoyable weekend of winter birding. Yesterday was a home run gulling at the Hudson River, then this morning I did a quick cruise around the black dirt where I located a remarkable 8 LAPLAND LONGSPURS. I found 2 off of Route 12 in New Hampton, and an additional 6 on Ridgebury Road in Slate Hill. From there I headed over to the Bashakill to check to see if the large flock of Snow Buntings were still present. They were, and they were quite accommodating. I ran into Karen Miller while I was there and we located a distant Rough-legged Hawk, off of Haven Road; I don’t think they get them there very often. From there I called it a day a little on the early side, but it was a good morning.

~Snow Bunting – Haven Road at the Bashakill, 02/14/21.~

~THE THREE AMIGOS! Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, and Lapland Longspur sharing a snow drift, Slate Hill NY 02/14/21.~

~Lapland Longspur in the Black Dirt, 02/14/21.~

~Snow Buntings coming in for a landing on a wire, Bashakill 02/14/21.~

~A pair of Lapland Longspurs in the Black Dirt, 02/14/21.~

~Northern Mockingbird at Galeville Park, 02/13/21.!

A Pretty Good Weekend, 01/24/21

Saturday and Sunday were both gorgeous days – mostly sunny, cold, crisp, with a brisk wind out of the north. It was great to just be out and about after a week staring at my work computer. On Saturday I went up to Sullivan County to try for the Northern Shrike near Liberty NY; unfortunately I had no luck. That’s my third time trying for that bird, and I’m sort of feeling like three strikes and you’re out. The trip was still worth it though, I had a single COMMON REDPOLL and a brief look at three EVENING GROSBEAKS, my first of the winter. In the afternoon I went to the Newburgh Waterfront, where I located a first winter ICELAND GULL.

~ICELAND GULL at the Newburgh Waterfront on Saturday afternoon, 01/23/21.~

~Ring-billed Gull at Newburgh Waterfront. I wish I had this sort of photo op with the Iceland!

On Sunday morning I walked the Winding Waters trail at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. It was a beautiful, freezing cold walk, and I enjoyed it immensely. The highlight was a single COMMON REDPOLL, my first in Orange County this winter. In the early afternoon, Bruce Nott reported a GLAUCOUS GULL at the Newburgh Waterfront. I ran for the bird; when I arrived we actually located a second bird for two GLGUs! Huge thanks to Bruce as always. It was a good weekend, and I even got a few shots to share, which makes me happy.

~Black-capped Chickadee playing in the snow, Woodard Rd Sullivan County 01/23/21.~

~Northern Cardinal on the Winding Waters Trail, 01/24/21.~

~Cedar Waxwing in a snow squall. Clement Road in Sullivan County, 01/23/21.~

~Amrican Tree Sparrow, Winding Waters Trail 01/24/21.~

~Beautiful bird. Glaucous Gull at the Newburgh Waterfront, 01/24/21.~

~Documentary shot of Common Redpoll at Winding Waters, 01/24/21. Unfortunately this bird did not stick around for very long…~

Beechwoods Area, 01/02/21

I headed back up to Sullivan County this morning to try once again for the Northern Shrike that has been seen near Liberty, NY. My second target species was Common Redpoll which have also been reported recently in the same area. I spent the morning traveling the area and scanning for birds, but unfortunately came up empty on both counts. I was enjoying being in the area; it was a beautiful winter morning (sort of) and I was just happy to be out, so flipped open my copy of A Birding Guide to Sullivan County NY and followed the directions over to the Beechwoods Area, which is between Hortonville and Jeffersonville.

The Beechwoods Area proved to be more productive. Although most were the usuals, there were enough birds around to make it interesting. I had many Black-capped Chickadees, they were definitely the bird of the day. I also had six Bald Eagle sitings – I’m not sure how many individual birds but there were at least two that I saw at the same time. The bird of the day, however, was a single COMMON REDPOLL on Buddenhagen Road. I spent loads of time with the bird as it was very accommodating, but the light wasn’t in my favor so I was working for photos. Some days you just pick the right thing to do – by that I mean it’s really what you’re in the mood for. Today was one of those days for me.

~CORE at the Beechwoods Area, 01/02/21.~

Sullivan Co. Shorebird Shots

I usually like to get my posts out in timely fashion, but I’ve had some problems with my computer and then when I sorted it out, it just took ages to get through all my photos and edit them. So, this post is from Sunday evening.

Sunday afternoon I was home for the day, done birding, relaxing. Then I read a post by Bashakill Birder and birding bud John Haas. He kayaked at Morningside Park, as he does most days this time of the year; he’d had a number of good birds there recently and they all were continuing. What got my attention was his excellent photo of a fabulous-looking American Golden-Plover.

~The American Golden-Plover did not disappoint. What a bird! Morningside Park on 08/30/20.~

With that, I got up off the sofa and loaded the kayak onto my car! What followed was a gorgeous night of paddling around the islands at Morningside Park with some very accommodating shorebirds. I’ve written about it before, but it is an incredible experience; it’s as if they don’t even know you are there. At one point, I had “docked” my kayak against one of the islands and I was just relaxing and watching some Least Sandpipers. They worked their way around island, towards me until they were close enough that I could reach out and touch them if I wanted! I sat motionless and just enjoyed their company. What a great evening, I have to thank John for his inspiration, it certainly beats sitting on the sofa watching the tube.

~On the prowl. AMGP at Morningside Park, 08/30/20.~

~A Spotted Sandpiper in the wind, right as the sun was setting. Morningside Park, 08/30/20.~

~What a cutie. Least Sandpiper at Morningside Park, 08/30/20.~

~This bird fooled me. It was tucked into the wood and looked so comfortable that I just kept my distance and cruised by, taking a few shots. When I got home and looked at the pics, I realized that this was the BAIRD’S SANDPIPER. Morningside Park, 08/30/20.~

~I like this shot. Solitary Sandpiper looking, well, solitary. Morningside Park 08/30/20.~

~AMGP reflecting on things. Morningside Park, 08/30/20.~

~I wanted to include one shot that showed how beautiful this bird was from the back. American Golden-Plover at Morningside Park, 08/30/20.~

A Good Couple of Days/Eurasian Wigeon at the Bash!

I rocketed out of work last night and took the long way home, winding slowly through Harriman State Park and eventually entering the area of Sterling Forest State Park. I made a quick stop Indian Kill Reservoir where I didn’t have anything out of the ordinary, but there was a young Bald Eagle trying to terrorize a small raft of Common Mergansers, but they seemed unfazed. From there, I headed to Wickham Lake to follow up on a tip that there were Lesser and Greater Scaup, as well as American Woodcock.

~ A pair of Hooded Mergansers in the marsh across from Fireman’s Park in White Sulphur Springs, NY, 03/14/20.~

BREAKING NEWS: As I was typing this post, I received a call from John Haas; he let me know that Gail Benson and Tom Burke had located a EURASIAN WIGEON at the Bashakill main boat launch. I ran for the bird and it was still present. Distant, but still present (I tried for documentary photos without great success, see the bottom of this post). Many birders ran for the bird; it was strange to see a line of birders with scopes with approximately 6′ between them, practicing social distancing during this uncertain time of the Corona Virus.

Back to Friday evening. At Wickham Lake there was a decent sized raft of birds, consisting of mostly Ring-necked Ducks and approximately 20 scaup. I thought I had maybe 6 Greater and the rest Lesser, but I just couldn’t be sure so I reported them all as Lesser/Greater. The highlight of the night, however, was when the American Woodcocks started peenting and displaying. It was quite dark at this point, so photos were not an option, but I had several woodcocks land as close as 35 feet away, which was a fabulous look in my binoculars.

~Great Blue Heron in flight at Fireman’s Park, 03/14/20.~

On Saturday morning, I headed to Sullivan County to try for the very early PECTORAL SANDPIPER at Fireman’s Park on Shore Road in White Sulphur Springs that was found by Renee Davis a few days earlier. I didn’t have any luck with the Pec, even with Renee stopping by and giving me the lay of the land. But, the morning was a good one. The marsh was active with plenty of birds and I was able to get some decent photos. The highlight for me was a nice looking Red-shouldered Hawk that made its way over the marsh. I also went to Swan Lake, where I had mostly the usuals plus 2 Lesser Scaup.

~Red-shouldered Hawk at Fireman’s Park, 03/14/20.~

My final stop (before heading out again for the EURASIAN WIGEON), was at the duck blind at the Bashakill. John Haas texted me to let me know there was Pied-billed Grebe and Blue-winged Teal present. I immediately found one, and then two Pied-billed Grebes. John joined me, and eventually, after searching for a little while, we located first the drake, and then both the male and female when a Bald Eagle flushed all the ducks. Huge thanks to John for all the intel today, it makes a difference in a day of birding.

~One more shot of the Great Blue Heron, perched way high up at Fireman’s Park, 03/14/20.~

~I have NEVER cropped a photo this much before. Can you see the Eurasian Wigeon? Bashakill, 03/14/20.~

Hickok Brook Multi-use Area, 06/23/19

Since I have Ruffed Grouse on the brain this weekend, I headed out early this morning to the only other location where I’ve seen the bird: Hickok Brook Multiple Use Area in Sullivan County. I didn’t have any luck with RUGR, (I knew I’d have to get lucky to come across one), but I was happy to get back to a spot that I’d only been to one other time, two years ago. It was a sunny, cool morning with a little bit of a breeze blowing. I took a nice, long, comfortable walk; the trails are mostly wide open and flat which makes for some good birding conditions. It was a birdy morning and I had 35 species on my list, with most birds being heard and not seen. I remembered having a similar experience last time I was there, but really, to me it’s pretty normal for summertime birding. Highlights for me were mostly raptors, including my second Barred Owl of the weekend, this one was heard but not seen. I also had a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks calling and also a pair of Broad-winged Hawks – I heard them first and then watched one shoot through the woods in the distance. I know that I missed some birds out there today – it’s hard to bird by ear for me when I’m a little bit outside of Orange County as I’m not entirely sure which birds to expect. I decided to not worry about it too much and just enjoyed a nice walk in the woods.

~I felt a little snake-bit when it came to photos today; the birds were either not seen, in the dark, or completely backlit. This Scarlet Tanager was an exception, Hickok Brook Multi-use Area 06/23/19.~

~This was the first bird that I saw this morning, and it wasn’t camera shy in the least. Gray Catbird at Hickok Brook Multi-use Area, 06/23/19.~

~I was torn between my two best shots of this bird, so I decided to include both. Scarlet Tanager at Hickok Brook Multi-use Area, 06/23/19.~

Sunday Shots, 04/28/19

I was scheduled to volunteer for the Bashakill Area Association’s Nature Watch program, which I’ve participated in for several years on and off and written about here on the blog a couple of times; click here and here to find out more. I got up early to do hit some local spots before heading to the Bashakill; on my way to Glenmere Lake I spotted a Coyote in a field so I pulled over and was lucky enough to get some decent (if noisy) shots. Glenmere was mostly uneventful, although I did have my first Black-throated Green warblers of the season. I also stopped at Wickham Lake, just to check the water quickly and found 6 distantRuddy Ducks all tucked in on the rainy lake.

~I just happened to have my 1.4x teleconverter on my camera this morning, which helped bring this Coyote just a little bit closer. Taken near Glenmere Lake, 04/28/19.~

I met up with Karen Miller at Haven Road at the Bashakill. We found out shortly after our arrival that the watch was to be cancelled due to the rain. So, we decided to bird the Bash. We hit four locations and we did pretty well. Highlights included several First of Season birds for me: Common Gallinule, Broad-winged Hawk, Eastern Kingbird, Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo, Bank Swallow, Gray Catbird, and Black-throated Blue Warbler. Other good birds included Black-and-white Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush, Field Sparrow, and of course, several Bald Eagles. It was a good and productive morning and my list totaled 38 species.

~Always a good bird to see, Louisiana Waterthrush at the Bashakill WMA, 04/28/19.~

~These guys can get a little annoying as the season wears on, but it nice to get my FOS Gray Catbird today. Bashakill WMA, 04/28/19.~

~Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at the Bashakill WMA, 04/28/19.~

Earlier this week I took an opportunity to try for better shots of the Middletown YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS; I got lucky and both birds were present and active.

~One of two YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS in Middletown NY, 04/25/19.~

~Yellow-crowned Night-Heron with a snack, Middletown NY, 04/25/19.~

Sullivan County TRUMPETER SWAN, 02/23/19

~Wow! TRUMPETER SWAN at Rondout Reservoir, 2/23/19.~

My main goal today was to follow up on the swan the John Haas located yesterday at Rondout Reservoir. For just over 24 hours, there was some uncertainty regarding which species of swan it was, but just this afternoon the bird was confirmed as a TRUMPETER SWAN by Kevin McGowan at Cornell University, after reviewing photos by John and Bruce Nott. This is only the second record of the species in Sullivan County. John has written 3 posts on his blog about the bird – check it out here.

I ran for the bird this morning and fortunately it was still present. Karen Miller arrived right after me, and we both set up our scopes and enjoyed viewing the bird. My initial thoughts on the bird was that it looked good for trumpeter for two main reasons – 1. The bill shape and size looked good to me – it was large and fairly straight and 2. The connection of the bill to the eye seemed substantial enough. But, one field mark that wasn’t present was the “V” shape where the bill meets the forehead (in this bird it was more like a “U”). According to John’s blog, Kevin McGowan explained that variability in individual birds does not make this a reliable fieldmark for final identification. If you are interested in learning more about swan identification, have had a couple of hard lessons on swan identification that I have blogged about: one at Montezuma NWR and one at Wallkill River NWR.

~TRUMPER SWAN wing flap at Rondout Reservoir, Sullivan County NY 02/23/19.~

I also did a little local birding today. Prior to running for the TRSW, I had a nice stop at Glenmere Lake, where I had 8 species of waterfowl: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Wood Duck, and American Black Duck. Kathy Ashman was there after me, and she also had a COMMON GOLDENEYE. I’m not sure how I missed that bird! In the early afternoon I ran around the black dirt for a while. I went through probably 1,500 Canada Geese in 2 locations but did not come up with anything. I got lucky with a beautiful ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK that flew right over me at Liberty Marsh. Oh, and I started the day, right around sunrise, with a coyote in a field not too far from my house. Great day!